Welcome to Chris Hounchell!

Chris Hounchell is an award-winning Tampa Bay Florida real estate Broker that has earned a reputation for providing expert, professional representation to his customers, unparalleled market knowledge, dedicated service and complete transparency throughout the entire buying and selling process.

Moving can be a stressful and exhausting event. There’s so much to do before the move and so much to do during. It affects all the members of your family, including your pet. We have some tips to help you plan a pet friendly move, whether it’s across town or across the country.

Get a Checkup

Amid all the the other tasks you need to do to prepare for a move, taking your pet to the vet seems like a low priority. Having a checkup before the move can help identify any health issues that may turn into big problems in the following weeks. If you’re moving away from the area it’s also the perfect time to get your pets vaccinations up to date and request a copy of its health records. If your pet suffers from anxiety, your veterinarian will also be able to provide you with specific strategies to keep your pet as calm as possible.

Pet Proof

Just like you would baby proof a house, you should ensure that it’s also safe for your pet. If you intend to allow your pet outside, you need to make sure the area is secure and there are no hazards such as poisonous or irritating plants or other materials accessible to your animal.

Find a Safe Space

During loading and unloading, there will be lots of people in and out of your house. This means there are plenty of chances for your pet to run out an open door or get caught under foot. It’s best to find a friend or relative who can take your pet for the day. If that isn’t an option, assigning a secure area, such as a bedroom or a gated backyard, with plenty of food and water will help keep your pet safe.

Go For a Ride

Regardless if your move is local or across the country, you need to take the proper steps to ensure your pet’s safety during travel. If you’ll be traveling by care, a hard sided carrier is the best way to transport small dogs and cats and a car harness for larger dogs. Make sure your furry friend has plenty of opportunities to walk around at stops and fresh food and water available during their ride. Never leave an animal alone in the car.

Settling In

Give your pet time to adjust to your new home and don’t introduce additional changes until your pet has had sufficient time to acclimate. Make sure your pet receives extra attention and activity to help prevent anxiety from building up and to enforce the idea that your new home is a safe and loving place.

Whether you’re moving to the Tampa Bay area due to a job transfer, military assignment, or personal choice, we’ve put together a relocation guide to help assist you. The Tampa Bay has something to offer everyone and we’ll be happy to help you call it “home”.

The Area

Tampa Bay isn’t actually a city but the name of the communities surrounding the actual Tampa Bay. Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Bradenton are the largest municipalities. Tampa is home to MacDill Air Force Base, home of CENTCOM. The area is full of history dating back to the nineteenth century, much of it deeply ingrained in the history of the Seminole Tribe. It boasts a large arts culture, waterfront activities, numerous parks, festivals, and sports teams.

The Climate

The warm weather is what draws many people to the Tampa Bay area. Situated on the west coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa experiences subtropical weather the majority of the year. Temperatures range from the mid-70’s to the 90’s during the summers and winter temperatures don’t get much below 50 with the exception of rare freezes. Thunderstorms pop up frequently during the summer months but pass quickly. Hurricane season runs from June to November and every resident of the area should prepare evacuation routes and have an emergency kit prepared at all times, but especially during this time period.

Employment

The Tampa Bay area is a leader in job creation in Florida. The largest industries include technology/communications, healthcare, and banking/finance. Read our extensive list of employers in the Tampa Bay area for more information.

Schools

In the City of Tampa, the schools are run by the School District of Hillsborough County. St. Petersburg and Clearwater are overseen by the Pinellas County Schools and Bradenton schools are managed by Manatee County Public Schools. In addition to the public school systems, the area is home to higher education institutions as well including University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College, and St. Petersburg College.

Residency

You have ten days from the date you begin working in Florida or register a child in a Florida school to register your car with the DMV. You have thirty days to update your out of state driver’s license. For information on what documentation you need to present in order to register and obtain a license you can visit the Florida Divisions of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

And of course, when searching for your new home in the Tampa Bay area contact our team to help you.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published March 2015. It has since been updated to reflect current information and edited for clarity and cohesiveness.

You’ve signed the papers, received the keys, and unpacked your boxes. That house is now your home but you’re not done yet. To really settle into your new home you need to think outside the box.

Meet the Neighbors

We’ve talked about the importance of and the effects your neighbors can have. You’re going to live next to these strangers for quite a long time. Why not make the effort to get to know them? Established neighbors can give you the scoop on traffic and hidden gems in the area. Knowing your neighbors can also increase the safety of the neighborhood. You also may find a great friend or two who lives next door or across the street.

Explore the Neighborhood

During your house search, you probably researched the neighborhood but you’ll never learn the ins and outs unless you’re actually out there. Become a tourist and explore all the amenities that your new area has to offer. These things were desirable to you when you were looking to move, now is the time to take advantage of them.

Try Something New

Change is good and exciting. Sure you may have a favorite restaurant near your former home but why not try something new closer to you? You may be pleasantly surprised and end up supporting a local business. Even if it’s a flop, you tried and have a story to tell. Your kids will love finding new parks and playgrounds to run around in and make new friends.

Give It Time

The boxes may be gone and everything may have a place but it still may not feel like home. That’s okay! Give your new home, both the house and the area, time to grow on you. You need to learn the quirks and nuances. Before you know it, it won’t be your “new home” anymore, just home.

One of the big things we stress with all of our listings is to “stage” a home. Staging requires you to clear out many of your personal effects and items that to you make the home looked lived in but to potential Buyers may it look cluttered. The best advice we’ve heard when it comes to deciding what you should do with that “stuff” is to ask yourself if you’ll keep it, sell it, or trash it.

When it comes to the “sell it” things, we’ve all heard the saying “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure”. There’s a huge resurgence in the idea of upcycling and a demand for vintage items. Many people are getting back into the garage sale method of selling items they no longer want and cashing in on the demand. But a garage sale can be a waste of time if you don’t take the right steps. So how do you set yourself up for a successful garage sale?

Do Your Research

First find out if you can have a garage sale on your property. Some homeowner’s and condominium associations may restrict garage sales. Likewise, municipalities may have restrictions on the days you host, where you hold it, and may even require you to purchase a permit.

Research the market price for many of your big ticket items such as furniture, electronic equipment, tools, etc. You don’t want to price yourself out of the market before you even set up.

Pick Your Day and Time

A good day can be a deciding factor in the success of your garage sale. Garage sales used to be held on weekends only but they are starting to trend to include Thursday and Friday afternoons as well. Avoid holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Be mindful of when your local schools are hosting graduation ceremonies and consider avoiding those dates as well. Consider also when people get paid. Is there a large local employer that pays on the 15th and 30th of each month? Schedule your sale for the weekend immediately following pay day.

Just like a party, set an end time so you don’t have stranglers at your house until it’s dark or worse people knocking on your door well after you’ve closed up shop.

Advertise

It used to be that garage sales were only advertised in the newspaper for a few days immediately before the sale date. If a seller was feeling motivated they would put flyers up around the neighborhood. With the advent of the social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Craig’s List, a seller can advertise to more people within a geographic area and target people looking for specific items. The best part about all three of these methods is they’re free! Don’t overlook the more traditional avenues of advertising though. Places like grocery stores and libraries may also have neighborhood bulletin boards that you may be able to place a flyer on.

Get Organized and Get Prepared

Now comes the most tedious part of any garage sale: physically preparing for it. You should have like items grouped together. Price tags should be affixed to the item or a sign near as possible to the item in question. Some people hand write each price tag, others buy the pre-typed tags at a dollar or office supply store, still others go by a color code system with each color assigned a price. Figure out what system you want to use and stick to it.

Set up all of your items ahead of time so on the day of your sale all you need to do is open up your garage door or pull out your tables into your driveway, yard, or sidewalk.

One of the most overlooked items needed for a garage sale is money. Make sure you have enough variety of bills and coinage to make proper change.

The Day Of

Be ready to meet an assortment of people. As more people start shopping, get up and walk around. It may help a person to ask questions about an item they’re considering and it may help deter shoplifters. You should also be prepared to negotiate on many items or know which ones are non-negotiable.

Keep your money to close to you at all times and secure large amounts of money inside your home instead of carrying them on your person or storing it in a money box out in the open.

At the end of your sale, filter through the items you have left and decide what you will do with them. Will you try to sell through online venues or will you donate them to a charity?

A successful garage sale isn’t something you can put together overnight but it is worth the effort when you’re able to clear out unwanted items from your house and make a tidy profit.

There will come a time for every landlord to turn over their rental property from one tenant to the next. You would think it would be as easy as collecting the keys from the former and giving them to the latter but that’s not the case. Proper planning and proactive actions can go a long way in making a rental turn over a smooth and efficient process.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Before ever considering further steps in a turn over plan, you, as the landlord, need to know if your current tenants are staying or going. Your lease will spell out the specific requirements for providing the opportunity for a renewal or for giving notice of non-renewal. If you’ve decided to not renew with your current tenants or they have decided to move on, put the specific move out date in writing. If you are not renewing your lease, send the notice via certified mail with a return receipt. If your tenants have given you notice, have them send it to you in writing with a signature.

Communicate

Provide your tenants with a copy of the move-in inspection report and a detailed description of the steps that need to be taken to help ensure they receive their security deposit back. Offer your tenants the opportunity for a pre-move out walk through so you can address specific concerns or needs for repair prior to their move-out. This lays out how you expect the property to be returned to you and gives the tenants the chance to meet those expectations.

The Move-Out

On the agreed upon day of move-out be prepared to meet your tenants at the property and complete a final inspection with them. Note any damages and normal wear and tear and have your tenant sign the list, just like they did for the move-in report. Make sure the tenant turns in all keys to the property, even those copies they made at their own expense, garage door openers, mailbox keys, and parking passes. Lastly, get their new mailing address so you can send back the security deposit or forward any future written communications to them.

Prepare For the New Tenant

Don’t waste any time getting the property ready for the next tenant. This can be the most costly point of turn over since a vacant house is a loss of income. The house should be cleaned from top to bottom and all repairs should be completed prior to a new tenant taking possession. If the former tenant left items behind, the landlord is responsible to remove them from the property and store them for a time and in a condition prescribed by local law. If you do change the locks, have extra copies of the keys made not only for the tenant but for yourself and your property manager.

Move-In Day

On the day your new tenants arrive, walk through the property together, make note of the current condition of the house, and both you and the tenant should sign the report. Be sure to deliver a copy to them as soon as possible. Explain how to operate the basic house systems and appliances, provide your contact information, and remind the tenant of any specific responsibilities related to the house, such as lawn maintenance, parking regulations, or pet rules.

Once you develop a turn over plan and stick with it you’ll find the process reduces the stress and time involved in seeing one tenant out the door and welcoming a new one in.

After all the stress and nail biting of inspections and mortgage approval and closing, settling into a new home can be fun and exciting. Whether it’s your first home or not, it’s always fun to put your mark on a place that’s yours. In addition to unpacking boxes and hanging up new curtains, there are five things you should do when you move. We’ve not only compiled the list for you but also solid reasons for why you do these things.

Locate the nearest hospital, police station, and firehouse.

With the wonderful services of 911 just a phone call (and now a text message) away, you may be wondering why you should know exactly where these places are. The answer is simple: always be prepared. You may have an accident that doesn’t require 911 assistance but still requires you to get to the hospital sooner rather than later. If someone is following you, it’s best to go to the police station instead of going home and calling for help. Knowing how close your home is to a fire house can not only save you quite a bit of money on your home owner’s insurance but fire fighters are almost always trained in first aid and emergency assistance as well as fire fighting.

Change the locks.

The Sellers gave you twelve copies of the house keys at closing and told you that was all of them and they may be telling the truth but what if they forgot to collect copies from friends and family? What is they didn’t change the locks to the house when they bought it? The best way to ensure your peace of mind is to spend the money and change the locks. You can always have a locksmith simply rekey the lock or you can take the opportunity to put your own touch on the house with a whole new set. The choice is yours and can fit every budget.

Setup utility services.

This really should be done prior to you closing and many times your closing company will handle this for you (for a fee of course). If for some reason, you or the closing company hasn’t set up accounts for utility services in your name do it immediately. You don’t want to be halfway through unpacking on your first night and have the lights shut off or try to take a shower on the Monday after moving in and find out the water service has been shut off. Most utilities can be set up over the phone and very few require a deposit.

Clean.

Before you bring a single box into your new house, clean it from top to bottom. Sellers are only required to leave the house to the Buyers in broom swept condition. Frankly, that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Besides simply dusting and mopping, scrub the bathrooms and kitchen and be sure to clean out closets and cabinets of dust and crumbs. You’ll never get another chance to really deep clean your house again without anything in it.

Introduce yourself to the neighbors.

If you have good neighbors chances are they’ll make the first move and welcome you to the neighborhood but if you’re in and out of the house and run into someone be sure to offer a “hello” or go over and introduce yourself. You’ll be living within close proximity for at least a few years, it can benefit you both to be on amicable terms.

These five simple steps take very little time to complete but will ensure you home life is safe, clean, and enjoyable.

Since 2010, the Tampa Bay area has seen a job creation boom from companies such as Johnson & Johnson and JPMorgan Chase. This explosion of jobs isn’t just good news for the companies but also for the local economy. With new jobs, the state sees an increase in tax revenues and the real estate market experiences a boon of Buyers and Renters. Many of those Buyers and Renters are employees relocating to the area. Relocating for a job can be an unnerving and stressful experience but it can also be one full of excitement and opportunity. We have a list of must do’s when you relocate to help make your transition an easy one.

Research

If you’re relocating as part of your job find out if your employer is offering any assistance. Some firms will help their employees with selling their property at the original location and find and help fund housing in the new location. If you have the opportunity, take a few days to visit your new location to explore different neighborhoods, visit schools, and get a read on traffic patterns. You’ll also want to decide on how you’ll move yourself; will you hire professionals or do it yourself? Either way, you need to make the appropriate reservations as soon as you make your decision.

Prepare

Whether you’re moving yourself or hiring professionals to do all the lifting, you need to prepare your current home for a move. If you’re selling or renting to tenants, you’ll need to contact a Realtor to list the house for sale or lease. If you’re a tenant, you’ll need to give your landlord the proper notice. It’s best to go through your belongings before you ever pack a box and decide what you want to keep and want you don’t. It’s good to employ the “keep, donate, toss” method of sorting through your belongings. If you’ll be moving into a new home immediately upon your arrival in your new location, you’ll need to make sure you have a fully signed lease or have completed closing prior to arriving.

Tie Up Loose Ends

Your footprint extends past the walls of your home. When you move, you’ll need to close out any open accounts and memberships that can’t be transferred to your new location. You’ll also need to let your doctors and dentist know you’re moving and ask for copies of your records. You may want to ask if they have any recommendations for doctors in your new area. If you have children, you’ll need to arrange for their withdrawal from their current school and enrollment at their need school. It’s also good to hand carry a copy of their school records as well.

Stay Organized

There’s a lot of paperwork involved in a move. Keep all of the important paperwork together will make it easy to locate whatever you need at a moment’s notice. A binder with plastic sleeves and tabs is a good way to manage the task. If you’re using professional movers you’ll need to sign an inventory at pack-out and drop-off. Make sure you can read everything that’s on the inventory and the number of boxes listed matches what’s been written down. Some moving expenses may be tax deductible as well so keep all of your toll and gas receipts and keep track of your mileage.

Network

Being in a new place can be very lonely but it doesn’t need to be. Social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn has allowed us to stay connected with friends from all stages of our lives. Reach out to those that may be near by and connect. Use your hobbies and favorite activities as another jumping off point for meeting new people. Join a gym or take a class that interests you. Chances are the reason you moved for your job is because you enjoy it so don’t be afraid to socialize with your coworkers.

No move is ever without some hiccups along the way. Keep your cool and embrace the experience you’re undertaking with a relocation. Read more about relocating Tampa Bay.

Congratulations! You’ve found your next home and you’re just waiting for the closing date to arrive but what do you do in the meantime. In the past, we’ve talked you through the moving timeline and given you suggestions on what to do along the way. Today, we have three things you should do before you move that don’t necessarily fall along the timeline. Do one or all three before you sign the deed to the next owners and thank us later.

Keep, Sell, Donate

It sounds like a cheesy game show doesn’t it? As soon as you find that next house, or maybe even before, you should start doing an inventory of your belongings and decide which you will keep, which you will sell, and which you will donate. It can be difficult to part with things but if you haven’t used it in more than six months and it doesn’t hold significant sentimental value you should consider getting rid of it. Items like clothing that are still in good condition can be tedious to sell so consider donating it to a local charity; most will schedule a pickup right at your home and provide you with a receipt to use for a tax write-off at the end of the year. If you’re making a large move, consider donating your canned and boxed goods to a food pantry to save on your weight charges with the moving company. Larger items like exercise equipment, televisions, stereo systems, and larger children’s toys all have good resale value. You can find local resale groups on Facebook or list online, through your local newspaper, or host a yard sale. Not only will you not bring dust collecting junk to your new home but you can also make a few dollars to help off-set moving costs.

Say “Good-Bye” to the Neighbors

If you’ve developed any kind of relationship with your neighbors you should make an effort to say “good-bye” to them before the moving truck backs into your driveway. It can be as simple as a quick handshake and a “thanks for being a good neighbor” to a beers & barbecue in the backyard. If you’re good friends, take some pictures, give them your new address, and try to keep in touch. If you have kids, encourage them to do the same to help lessen any upset they may be experiencing from the move.

Take Nostalgia With You

Are you one of those families that has tick marks on the door frame for each kid through the years? It can be difficult to part with a solid piece of memorabilia. But maybe you don’t have to. If you’re handy enough, remove the the piece of molding with the tick marks and take it with you. Obviously be sure to replace it with a matching, painted piece before you move out. If you have a favorite tree or rose bush, consider taking a few small cuttings and transplanting them to your new home. If that’s not an option, taking a picture will always help preserve the memories.

You’ve found your new house or you’ve sold your old one, either way you need to put together a plan to move yourself and your belongings from one house to another. Having a well thought out and detailed plan will help ensure your move with be as smooth as possible. Follow our moving timeline to help you have the best move possible.

Two Months Out

Contact a moving company for a detailed estimate or reserve a moving truck if you’re moving yourself.

Take inventory of your belongings; be sure to note serial numbers of large ticket items; take pictures if possible.